Mercuryrose
&
Grimrose
“Are you sure that she’s ready?” Mercuryrose muttered to Grimrose, both of them taking shelter within a large bush. The Shadowclan deputy had dismissed Hollypaw a couple of moments ago, declaring that her assessment had begun. Grimrose nodded without Hesitation, knowing that Hollypaw had it within her to pass and earn her warrior name. “She’s ready, Hollypaw has been preparing for this moment for a while.” Grimrose’s soft voice said, her singular violet eye scanning the area for a moment. There was no sign of Hollypaw yet. Mercuryrose arched an eyebrow, knowing her best friend wasn’t lying.. However, Mercuryrose needed to see Hollypaw in action for herself in order for the black molly to properly earn her warrior name.
The two settled into the bushes when Hollypaw appeared, Grimrose’s violet eye shined in happiness when spotting her apprentice. The black and gray molly had felt like the two had developed such a good bond between mentor and apprentice, she was going to miss training Hollypaw but was surely excited on the next steps that her apprentice would do when entering warrior hood. Grimrose’s gaze turned to look towards Mercuryrose who was focused on Hollypaw, her dark green gaze never left the black molly for a second. The deputy took every assessment seriously, wanting to make sure that every apprentice that went through was capable of becoming fine warriors of Shadowclan.
“Did you become nervous when watching Ravenclaw’s assessment?” Grimrose suddenly questioned, it was silent for a moment before the large Maine Coon spoke in a quiet voice “I was..” Mercuryrose admitted, thinking of her son’s assessment and remembered that even Mintstrike somehow snuck in to watch their son. It was an important moment for their little family, and Ravenclaw knew the expectations and felt the pressure.. But he passed, and it was a happy day for the massive black and white tom and his family and friends that witnessed his ceremony. Stars, he ran towards Thunderclan territory at the first chance that he had to tell his family within Thunderclan as well.
“But, Ravenclaw knew his potential and worked patiently during his assessment.. Let’s see if Hollypaw can also do the same.” Mercuryrose said, her whiskers twitched slightly and remained focused on Hollypaw when she came into view. Grimrose looked over at her best friend before returning to look at her apprentice, knowing that Hollypaw would impress the deputy today with her skills.
Grimrose
+
Mercuryrose
Watching Hollypaw, Grimrose peaked out of the bush for a moment when seeing her apprentice making a break for it towards the duck. Her singular violet eye was glowing with happiness, a sense of pride overcame her. Hollypaw had come a long way, it took a while for the black molly to gain the confidence that she had lacked before due to appearance and fearing failure.. But Hollypaw had grown into a strong and young molly. Suddenly feeling a soft breeze, Grimrose had looked back into the bush and noticed that Mercuryrose had disappeared. The Maine Coon deputy was very stealthy, she expected the black and rose-gold molly to disappear at some point to observe the apprentice. Knowing Mercuryrose for seasons, it took a while to convince the large molly of something.. It was going to take a bit to convince the strict deputy that Hollypaw was ready to join the ranks of warriorship.
Mercuryrose’s dark green gaze was watching Hollypaw carefully as she moved silently within the shadows. One thing that Mercuryrose loved about Shadowclan’s territories is that it was easy to lurk within the shadows. The large Maine Coon’s steps were silent, she was light on her paws. The deputy was watching Hollypaw’s moments, finding flaws but also finding what the young apprentice had done from her stance to also tracking. It appeared that she learned well. Watching the young molly successfully catching the fish and ducks, she listened closely to Hollypaw’s words. A memory had entered Mercuryrose’s thoughts, mainly thinking about the time that she shared with Auroraskies, Cometchaser and her other siblings. Although coming off as cold, she cherished her siblings as they went through a lot more than any family. Snapping out her thoughts, the Shadowclan deputy had stepped out of the shadows and made her way towards the black molly
Her expression remained nuteral at first, not giving anything away. A couple of moments later, Grimrose had came out of the shadows to join her apprentice and Mercuryrose. The oriental molly was looking nervously at her best friend to over at Hollypaw, unsure about Mercuryrose’s decision. One thing about the female Maine Coon, she kept her cards close to her chest when it came to her decisions.. Which was an advantage and a disadvantage. Mercuryrose was looking over at the pieces of prey that Hollypaw had captured, remembering the frog over at the bush as well. Clearing her throat, the black and rose-gold molly had padded towards Hollypaw “While you have a long way to go.. No apprentice is perfect within their warrior assessment.” She said, thinking about Aspenpaw who claims that he was the best thing to happen to Shadowclan.
Her apprentice still had a long way to go.
Going towards Hollypaw, her eyes were narrowed when she was in front of Hollypaw. It wa silent for a few moments, Grimrose’s ears were pinned against her head as she was nervous that Mercuryrose would claim that Hollypaw had failed her assessment, causing the molly to become delayed within training. The black and rose-gold molly had released a snort, before leaning down and pressing her nose against Hollypaw’s forehead. “However, you have the heart of a warrior and have been incredibly brave.. The fact that you’ve been mentored by Grimrose, I knew you would be in good hands.” Mercuryrose said softly, keepin the words between only herself and Hollypaw. Leaning back, the deputy backed up before turning around and heading back towards the direction of the Shadowclan camp
“I will tell Juncostar that your ceremony will take place at the night, so your siblings may watch.” Mercuryrose said, knowing it would mean a lot to Hollypaw that her siblings within the night sky may watch an important moment.
Grimrose went towards her apprentice and embraced her, a tear running down her single eye as she was smiling brightly, proud of Hollypaw “I knew you would do it.” She whispered to her.
𝓗𝓸𝓵𝓵𝔂𝓹𝓪𝔀
shadowclan . apprentice . 12 moons
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Black fur barely stirred as a small ripple further along the surface of the water resounded in response to Hollypaw's own. Ears flattened against her skull and she shifted forward ever so slightly. A shadow moved beneath the surface of the water, but Hollypaw didn't move just yet. Opening her jaws, she tasted the air, letting the familiar scents of the marshy ground wash over her tongue. She was searching for a particular scent, judging by the way her nose scrunched when she scented something that didn't appeal to her as much.
Under the somewhat lacking cover of trees, Hollypaw knew that there could be birds flying overhead, she had eyes for bigger prey than just fish or frogs. It wasn't the type of prey Shadowclan cats were taught to excel in, but she wished to prove her resourcefulness. Frogs could come later.
The apprentice's ears suddenly perked up when she heard a familiar sound. Before she even had time to scent it, a duck waddled through the marshy reeds on the other side of the pond. Perfect. It hadn't been her initial plan- she had been hoping for a smaller bird of prey, but a duck seemed easy enough to catch. It was a small duck, she assumed it had just newly grown out of its downy feathers, but they could still make good use of them as well as the meat.
Giving the duck a wide berth, she watched as its head dipped into the water, retreating and picking out minnows that had been attracted by the ripples on the water, searching for small insects or plants to feast on. Hollypaw crept through the reeds, allowing herself to move alongside the natural swish, paws expertly gliding across the muddy ground.
The duck seemed satisfied with its meal, but before it so much as waded two steps into the water, a black mass launched at it, sweeping it from its feet. Hollypaw pinned the duck, pushing its head beneath the surface of the water as she gave the killing bite, fighting between the flapping wings and scattering feathers, dampening any alarm calls that the bird could make.
"Thank you Starclan, for this prey..." She mewed softly, staring down at the limp prey, pulling it back from the water, and carrying it back into the shelter of the reeds where it wouldn't scare off any more potential prey.
Once her prey was successfully covered, she moved back to sit beside the water, careful not to let her shadow drop over the surface. Perhaps she should hook out a couple smaller fish to ensure that she had some kind of typical prey to show for it. A glint of scales brought her attention back to reality, and she hooked out a smaller carp, as deftly as a Riverclan cat.
As she dropped the fish beside her duck, she glanced up toward the sky.
"Yewkit, Amberkit, Larkkit...thank you." She just wished her deceased littermates had been here to share the moment with her.
Mercuryrose
&
Grimrose
The black and rose gold molly was watching with narrowed green eyes at Hollypaw’s actions, although her expression was unreadable. It was a good move, Grimrose taught her well in thinking logically within hunting and fighting. The black and grey oriental molly was watching with a smile on her face, she was proud of how long Hollypaw had come since first becoming an apprentice. However, she knew that Mercuryrose could be extremely strict and one wrong move from Hollypaw could possibly delay her warrior training by a couple of moons. ‘Come on, you can do it Hollypaw.’ Grimrose prayed silently to herself, knowing her apprentice was going to impress Mercuryrose somehow. The deputy released a small snort when noticing Hollypaw smacking a paw against the water, Grimrose wasn’t sure if Mercuryrose was impressed with the method or not.
“Watch closely.” Mercuryrose muttered, her eyebrows furrowing for a moment. Grimrose peaked over and noticed how it was silent for a moment, the deputy was watching the apprentice for a moment. It was a good move, Hollypaw was thinking outside the box within this one, something Grimrose taught her. “The water will create a ripple or a sound effect that will bring frogs around or fish.” Grimrose noted, watching the black molly closely. Mercuryrose nodded in approval, the Maine Coon liked Hollypaw’s logical reasons.
“You’ve been teaching her well.” Mercuryrose noted, not giving away anymore. The black and rose-gold molly’s reaction remained neutral, not wanting to give the mentor any hope just yet. “We shall see if young Hollypaw passes her test, she may be good at her tricks but we will have to see if her methods will prove to be successful within her life as a warrior.” Mercuryrose said, Grimrose looking at her best friend with determination. “Hollypaw will pass this, I know she will.” The black and grey oriental said, her singular violet eye gleaming in hope.
𝓗𝓸𝓵𝓵𝔂𝓹𝓪𝔀
shadowclan . apprentice . 12 moons
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It was the day that all apprentices dreamed of. When Grimrose had mentioned it to her that she would be assessed, Hollypaw's eyes had widened, the excitement fizzing down from her head to the tip of her tail. She had, more enthusiastically than normal, hurried out of camp, not even looking back to see who was following to observe. She and her mentor had bonded, and Grimrose had encouraged Hollypaw to come out of her shell a little more, and stop feeling like she had to push herself so much to be what she wished her littermates had a chance to be.
The black she-cat paused once she was satisfied with her distance from camp, her paws and instincts carrying her to the stream. A good choice... there was always a chance to catch frogs by the stream. They were a good prey to catch to demonstrate her skills, and her mouth watered with the thought of catching such good prey to take back to her clan...
Hollypaw ducked down into some of the thick bracken that surrounded the stream, her ears alert for the signature croaking of frogs. Lifting her nose to the air, she took in a deep breath. Nothing yet... that was fine, she would stay put for now and give the prey a chance to come to her.
Hollypaw reached her paw from the bush, giving the surface of the water a tap.
I wonder if this will attract something that thinks it's food... It was a risky play. She would scare away any fish under the surface, but if there was anything bigger nearby, it may prove interested in her unusual method. Grimrose had taught her well to use her intelligence, and be willing to come up with creative methods when there was little prey in an area.